[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56689-56690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19933]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Notice of Availability of Health Center Program Scope of Project 
and Telehealth Policy Information Notice

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for public comment on Draft Health Center Program Scope 
of Project and Telehealth Policy Information Notice.

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SUMMARY: HRSA is inviting public comment on the Draft Health Center 
Program Scope of Project and Telehealth Policy Information Notice 
(Telehealth PIN). The purpose of the Telehealth PIN is to establish 
policy for health centers that provide services via telehealth within 
the HRSA-approved scope of project. The Telehealth PIN also describes 
considerations and criteria health centers must meet for providing 
services via telehealth within the Health Center Program scope of 
project.
    The Health Center Program is authorized by section 330 of the 
Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 254b. HRSA provides federal award 
funding to health centers to deliver required primary care and 
additional health services to medically underserved areas and 
populations. HRSA also certifies entities that it has determined to 
meet section 330 requirements as Health Center Program look-alikes. 
Health centers provide required primary care and additional health 
services to residents of the area served by the health center.
    Each health center is responsible for maintaining its operations, 
including developing and implementing its own operating procedures for 
providing health services through telehealth, in compliance with all 
Health Center Program requirements and all other applicable federal, 
state, and local laws and regulations.\1\
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    \1\ 42 CFR 51c.304(d)(3)(v).
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    Health centers are increasingly using telehealth as a means of 
delivering required and additional services to health center patients. 
Providing health care via telehealth \2\ can increase patient access 
and improve clinical outcomes, quality of care, continuity of care, and 
reduce the need for hospitalization. Within the context of the Health 
Center Program scope of project, telehealth is not a service or a 
service delivery method requiring specific HRSA approval; rather, 
telehealth is a mechanism or means for delivering a health service(s) 
to health center patients using telecommunications technology or 
equipment.
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    \2\ HRSA defines telehealth as the use of electronic information 
and telecommunication technologies to support long-distance clinical 
health care, patient and professional health-related education, 
health administration, and public health.

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DATES: Submit comments no later than November 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The PIN is available at the Scope of Project and Telehealth 
PIN Public Comments web page. Written comments should be submitted 
through the HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care Contact Form (https://hrsa.force.com/feedback/s/policy-information-notice), by November 14, 
2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Joseph, Director, Office of 
Policy and Program Development, Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA, 
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857; email: [email protected]; 
telephone: 301-594-4300; fax: 301-594-4997.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HRSA provides grants to eligible applicants 
under section 330 of the PHS Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 254b), to 
support the delivery of preventive and primary care services to the 
nation's underserved individuals and families. HRSA also certifies 
eligible applicants under the Health Center Look-Alike Program (see 
sections 1861(aa)(4)(B) and 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act). 
Look-alikes do not receive Health Center Program funding but must meet 
the Health Center Program statutory and regulatory requirements. Nearly 
1,400 Health Center Program-funded health centers and approximately 100 
Health Center Program look-alike organizations collectively operate 
over 14,000 service delivery sites that provide care to over 30 million 
patients in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin. Note that for the 
purposes of this document, the term ``health center'' refers to 
entities that receive a federal award under section 330 of the PHS Act, 
as amended, as well as subrecipients and organizations designated as 
look-alikes, unless otherwise stated.
    Section A of the Telehealth PIN includes considerations for health 
centers delivering services via telehealth within the HRSA-approved 
scope of project. Each health center is responsible for maintaining its 
operations, including developing and implementing its own operating 
procedures for telehealth, in compliance with all Health Center Program

[[Page 56690]]

requirements and all other applicable federal, state, and local laws 
and regulations. Among other considerations, health centers using 
telehealth to deliver in-scope services to health center patients are 
responsible for addressing the considerations described in the policy.
    Section B of the Telehealth PIN includes criteria for health 
centers delivering services via telehealth within the HRSA-approved 
scope of project. PIN 2008-01: Defining Scope of Project and Policy for 
Requesting Changes provides the parameters of what may be included in a 
health center's scope of project and how to accurately document a 
health center's scope of project. Health centers may deliver in-scope 
services via telehealth to individuals who have previously presented 
for care at a health center site and to individuals who have not 
previously presented for care at a health center site. Services 
delivered via telehealth generally would be within the scope of the 
health center project if all of the criteria are met as described in 
the policy.

Diana Espinosa,
Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-19933 Filed 9-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P